1Nebuchadnezzar the king, made an image of gold, the height thereof, sixty cubits, the breadth thereof, six cubits,—he set it up in the valley of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2And, Nebuchadnezzar the king, sent to gather together the satraps, the nobles and the pashas, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the lawyers, and all the rulers of the province,—to come to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up.
3Then were gathered together, the satraps, the nobles and the pashas, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the lawyers, and all the rulers of the province, to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up,—and they stood before the image, which Nebuchadnezzar, had set up.
4And, the herald, proclaimed aloud,—To you, is given the word, O ye peoples, races, and tongues:
5At what time ye shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;
6and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall, instantly, be cast into the burning furnace of fire.
7Wherefore, at the same time—when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, and all kinds of instruments of music, they were falling down—even all the peoples, the races, and the tongues,—adoring the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up.
8Wherefore, at the same time, drew near certain Chaldeans,—and accused the Jews:
9they spake, and said, to Nebuchadnezzar the king: O king! for ages, live!
10Thou thyself, O king, hast made a decree, that, any man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, shall fall down and adore the image of gold;
11and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire.
12There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the business of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,—these men, have made thee, O king, of no account, thy god, they serve not, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, do they not adore.
13Then, Nebuchadnezzar—with anger and wrath, gave word to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, then, these men, brought they before the king.
14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it, with design, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,—that, my god, ye are not serving, and, the image which I have set up, are not adoring?
15Now, if ye be ready, at what time ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image which I have made, but, if ye shall not adore, instantly, shall ye be cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire,—and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered, and said to the king: O Nebuchadnezzar! we are not accounting it needful, concerning this, to answer thee.
17If it is, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us,—out of the burning furnace of fire, and out of thy hand, O king, he will deliver.
18But, if not, be it known to thee, O king,—that, thy god, will we not serve, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, will we not adore.
19Then, Nebuchadnezzar, was filled with wrath, and, the likeness of his countenance, was changed, against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,—he spake and gave word to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was ever seen heated;
20and, to men, who were the mightiest men in his army, gave he word to bind fast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,—to cast them into the burning furnace of fire.
21Then bound they, these men, in their trousers, their tunics, and their cloaks, and their (other) clothing,—and cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire.
22Therefore, because the word of the king had raged forth, and the furnace was exceeding hot, those very men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were slain by the flame of the fire;
23and, these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, fast bound.
24Then, Nebuchadnezzar the king, was amazed, and rose up in haste: he spake and said to his nearest friends—Were there not three men, we cast into the midst of the fire, fast bound? They answered and said to the king, Surely, O king!
25He answered and said, Lo! I, see four men, unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and, injury, there is not in them, and, the appearance of the fourth, is like to a son of the gods!
26Then did Nebuchadnezzar, draw near, to the door of the burning furnace of fire, he spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, step forth and come hither. Then stepped forth Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, out of the midst of the fire.
27And—being gathered together—the satraps, the nobles, and the pashas and near friends of the king, saw these men, over whose bodies the fire had, no power, nor was, a hair of their head, singed, neither were, their trousers, disfigured,—nor had, the smell of fire, come upon them.
28Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his messenger, and delivered his servants, who trusted in him,—when, the word of the king, they transgressed, and delivered up their bodies, that they might not serve nor adore any god, saving their own God.
29Therefore do I make a decree, that, whosoever of any people, race, or tongue it be that shall charge any error upon the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and, his house, into a dunghill, shall be changed; because there is no other God, who is able to deliver, like this!
30Then, the king, advanced Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.